Russ Isabella Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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Bill: Thank you very much. I appreciate your feedback and your (consistently!) kind words. Actually, I do not know how my photos are viewed by the athletes. That's something I need to find a way to explore because, well, I'd like to know!
Thank you, Trevor. It's complicated. Personally, I believe that more than most other sports, gymnastics contains many, many moments that are invisible to the eye when watching the action (either live or via video). Baseball has things like the bat bending on contact with the (compressing) ball and basketball has things like the ball compressing as it hits the floor, but as far as the athletes are concerned, what you see from still photos isn't very surprising in comparison to what you've seen from the live (or taped) action. With gymnastics, the grace and beauty can be evident at full speed, but not to the extent still photos can capture them. Or even the details, such as hand placement on the beam in #5 above. I have never, ever noticed that before seeing this photo last night and to me it's a thing of beauty. Beyond that, two things matter: timing as it relates to making the images, and having an eye for the aesthetic of the sport during the culling process. On the timing side, you have to have some idea of when the key moments are likely to happen and time the photos to capture them. No substitute here for practice, experience and gear that's up to the task. On the culling side, well, I don't know but I'd like to think this is where I am able to stand with the better gymnastics shooters out there. Getting the shot is one thing. Knowing it's 'the shot' when you see it is another. Both are important. (And all of this is to say nothing about imagining/envisioning the shots you want to make, and then figuring out a way to make them, which is a whole 'nother level...) This is one such (imagined/envisioned) shot for me, though I'm not liking it as much as I'd envisioned.
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http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM16.JPG |
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